Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-07-22
Distlntegration of the knights OF
Labor.

1t must be evident to every intelligent
observer that the yoke of the organization
known as the Knights of Labor is about
to be removed from the neck of the Amer
lean workingman. There is too much in
telligence, self respect and independence
among this class of our American citizens
to submit longer to the arbitrary exact
ions, the arrogant authority and unrea-
soniug and unreasonable demands of this
modern star chamber. The American
citizen is not wont to bow before anv
mere human authority in whose rulings
his voice and his interest, expressed or
uneXpressed, meet with no consideration.
We are not surprised, therefore, to learn
from statistics recently collected, that the
total membership of the Knights of Labor
has fallen from 1000, 600 to less than Co.,
600. This loss has been steady and is on
the increase, while the accessions to the
order grow fewer each mouth. Reports
from all sections of the country show that
disintegration has fairly begun. Nearly
every day there is a despatch in the pa
pers announcing the retirement of some
assembly or branch from the Knights of
Labor. A few days ago Gambrinus assemb-
ly of Cincinnati, consisting of 800 brewers,
bid good bye to the Knights and joined the
Brewers union. A few days before the
whole of Assembly No. 1876, made up of
carpet workers, was lost-for the usual
reason. the interference of the general
executive board in the carpet workers af-
fairs. These large defections are getting
to be 80 common that no notice is taken OF
the branches which are departing daily
but the small losses are telling seriously
on the numbers of the once powerful or
der
Most of the recent attempts of the
Knights to compensate for their losses by
inducing other labor associations to ioiI
them have been failures. At the last con
vention Of the Amalgamated association
of iron and steel workers, Mr.. Powderly
preached, prayed and begged the delegates
to give up their union and form district
assembly. They declined, and Mr.. Pow
derly's subsequent course has made them
and the trades union generally, lasting
enemies of the Knights.
i Then, too, the manufacturers are turn
ing on the organization, and in its presen
enfeebled condition their opposition is o
, great weight. The latest illustration o
this tendency is afforded by the action o
the leather manufacturers of New
Jersey. These men have just agreed
to discontinue the working of hide
and skins for month from July &c
and it is understood that when operation
are resumed in September the association
will employ no union men. The manu-
facturers say that they are tired of tn
tyranny of the unions that they want
and propose to have, the right to manag
their own business. This is privileg
which every man in free country surel
ought to be able to claim, yet manufat
Z turers for the past year or two have bee
practically tied up as to their methods an
plans by the tyranny of the labor organ
cations to which their employees belong
1t Is high time that this state of affair
, should come to an end, and we believ
/. that this contamination devoutly to b
, wished" is at hand. Certainly the Knight
of Labor are not what they were, and W
believe that the falling off will continu
= until the organization practically ceases t
' exist. Its demise will be mourned b
none-least of all by the American work